New data from Dutch higher education institutions reveal a continuing decline in the number of first-year students enrolling at both research universities and universities of applied sciences (HBO) in the 2025-26 academic year.  

Universities saw a more than 3% drop overall in new bachelor’s students compared to the previous year, being driven primarily by fewer international students, which was a 3.6 % drop. The most visible decline was the intake from other European countries, which was 4.4%.

Dutch student enrolments also decreased by 3.3 %, and The Universities’ umbrella organisation, the Universiteiten van Nederland (UNL), attributes this to a smaller cohort of pre-university graduates (VWO) and rising numbers of young people opting for gap years.

Meanwhile, the declining international numbers have been linked to universities pulling back on recruitment abroad, warnings about housing shortages, and to national policy choices that discouraged English-language programmes and broader internationalisation goals.  

These declines are not isolated incidents. Dutch universities have reported falling enrolments every year since 2020, with projections suggesting a near 10 % reduction in total students over the next decade.

The UNL warns that without an “inviting talent strategy,” the Netherlands risks undermining its competitiveness in science, innovation and the labour market.

At The Class Foundation, we see this slump through the mix of structural and policy factors, a lack of housing availability, and access to opportunity.  

The European Student Living Monitor (SLM) 2023–25 reveals that students who are unable to secure their first-choice accommodation cite unavailability (51 %) or cost barriers (23 %) as the primary constraints, indicating that lack of supply that inadequate supply, not preference, is what stifles the overall student experience.

In addition, The Kences Student Housing Monitor shows only 44 % of students in the Netherlands now live in student housing, even though 49 % would like to, a significant drop from eight years ago when 52% students lived out of their parental homes.

Taken together, these trends highlight that declining enrolment cannot be viewed in isolation from the realities of student living. Education policy, talent attraction, and housing availability are deeply interconnected.  

If the Netherlands is to remain an open, and competitive study destination, a more coordinated approach will be essential.  

This year The Class Foundation is bringing its flagship event, The Class Conference, back to Amsterdam and there has never been a more relevant moment to address student housing as critical infrastructure and the urgent need for stronger cross-sector collaboration.

Sources:

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1. NL Times (2026). Fewer new students at Dutch universities; Decrease most visible among international students.

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2. Dutch News (2026). New international student numbers fall for third year in a row.